Practicing Nonviolence

It has been one year since we took a corporate stance against gun violence as a Province. Our corporate stance said we will encourage and support measures to ensure reasonable steps are taken to keep weapons out of the hands of those who seek to harm others. According to CNN, the recent mass killing near Santa Barbara, California has prompted a proposal for a “gun violence restraining order,” temporarily barring a mentally unstable person from buying and possessing firearms. Legislation is being designed which would create a system where family members, friends and intimate partners could call police to intervene with troubled loved ones. Law enforcement could investigate threats and then ask a judge to issue an order prohibiting firearms purchases and possession, according to California State Assembly Representatives Das Williams and Nancy Skinner, who announced the legislation. The legislation has a chance to be approved because California has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country. Please pray that this legislation is passed and a precedent is set which other states can follow.

Please join me at Assembly this year to take a pledge and become part of a movement to transform our lives and to change our world through the power of active nonviolence. Campaign Nonviolence is a new movement taking a stand against the widespread violence and injustice we face today. This organization invites us to:

-Take nonviolent action together connecting the dots between peace, economic justice, and the environment.

More information is available online at http://paceebene.org/campaign-nonviolence .The Justice and Peace Committee will have a table at the Assembly where you can take the pledge. We will have a sign up sheet for our Incorporated Members and Companions to form a group to engage in social justice actions.